The Federation
of South Arabia (Arabic: اتحاد الجنوب العربي‎‎ Ittiḥād al-Janūb al-‘Arabī)
was an organization of states under British protection in what would become
South Yemen. It was formed on 04 April 1962 from the 15 protected states of
the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South. On 18 January 1963 it was
merged with the Crown colony of Aden. In June 1964, the Upper Aulaqi
Sultanate was added for a total of 17 states. A team was sent to the 1966
Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica. The Federation was abolished when
it gained independence along with the Protectorate of South Arabia as the
People's Republic of South Yemen on 30 November 1967. Capital: Aden.

In 1838, Sultan Muhsin bin Fadl of the nearby state of
Lahej ceded 194 km² (75 sq. miles) including Aden to the British. On 19
January 1839, the British East India Company landed Royal Marines at Aden to
occupy the territory and stop attacks by pirates against British shipping to
India. It then became an important trading hub between British India and the
Red Sea, and following the opening of the Suez canal in 1869, it became a
coaling station for ships en route to India. Aden was ruled as part of
British India until 1937, when the city of Aden became the Colony of Aden.
The Aden hinterland and Hadhramaut to the east formed the remainder of what
would become South Yemen and was not administered directly by Aden but were
tied to Britain by treaties of protection with local rulers of traditional
polities that, together, became known as the Aden Protectorate. Economic
development was largely centered in Aden, and while the city flourished, the
states of the Aden Protectorate stagnated. In 1963, Aden and much of the Protectorate were joined
to form the Federation of South Arabia with the remaining states that
declined to join, mainly in Hadhramaut, forming the separate Protectorate of
South Arabia. Both of these polities were still tied to Britain with
promises of total independence in 1968. Two nationalist groups, the Front
for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) and the National
Liberation Front (NLF), began an armed struggle (Aden Emergency) on 14
October 1963 against British control and, with the temporary closure of the
Suez Canal in 1967, the British began to withdraw. One faction, NLF, was
invited to the Geneva Talks to sign the independence agreement with the
British. Ironically, Britain, who during its occupation of Aden signed
several treaties of protection with the local sheikhdoms and emirates of the
Federation of South Arabia, excluded them in the talks and thus the
agreement stated "...the handover of the territory of South Arabia to the
(Yemeni) NLF...". Southern Yemen became independent as the People's Republic
of Southern Yemen on 30 November 1967, and the National Liberation Front
consolidated its control in the country.

Currency:
The dinar (Arabic: دينار‎‎) was the currency of South Arabia and then South
Yemen between 1965 and 1990. Code: YDD (ISO 4217). It was subdivided into
1000 fils (فلس). After Yemen's monetary unification on 1 July 1990, it was
one of the two official currencies used in Yemen Republic until 11 June
1996.
The dinar was introduced in 1965 as the South Arabian Dinar, replacing the
East African shilling at a rate of 1 dinar = 20 shillings, thus setting the
dinar initially equal to the British pound. It was renamed the South Yemeni
dinar after the Aden Protectorate became independent in 1967 as the South
Yemen. The South Yemeni dinar was replaced by the rial following unification
with North Yemen. The exchange rate was 1 dinar = 26 rial.

1964

In 1965, coins (dated 1964) were
introduced for South Arabia in denominations of 1, 5, 25 and 50 fils. The 1
fils was struck in aluminum, the 5 fils in bronze and the higher two
denominations in cupro-nickel. These were issued by the South Arabian
Currency Authority.

KM#1 1 Fils. Year: 1964.Weight: 0.80 g [0.80
g].Metal: Aluminum.Diameter:20.00 mm. Edge: Plain.Alignment:Medal.Mint: British Royal Mint. Obverse: Dot at
the top. "1 FILS" written at the top left side. "فلس واحد" (Fils
One)
written at the top right side. Crossed daggers in the center. Date
written at the bottom.

Reverse: "الجنوب العربي"
(South Arabia) written in Arabic at the top section. Small dot on
each side. 8-sided star design in the center. "SOUTH ARABIA"
written at the
bottom section. Mintage: 10,000,000 + 10,500 (in Proof sets as KM#PS1 +
N/A proof. Mintage Years:One year type.

KM#2 5 Fils. Year: 1964.Weight: 5.74 g [5.75
g].Metal: Bronze.Diameter:23.20 mm. Edge: Plain.Alignment:Medal.Mint: British Royal Mint. Obverse: Dot at
the top. "5 FILS" written at the top left side. "٥" (5) and "فلوس" (Fils)
written at the top right side. Crossed daggers in the center. Date
written at the bottom.

Reverse: "الجنوب العربي"
(South Arabia) written in Arabic at the top section. Small dot on
each side. 8-sided star design in the center. "SOUTH ARABIA"
written at the
bottom section. Mintage: 10,000,000 + 10,500 (in Proof sets as KM#PS1 +
N/A proof. Mintage Years:One year type.

KM#3 25 Fils. Year: 1964.Weight: 4.68 g [4.65
g].Metal: Copper-Nickel.Diameter:20.20 mm. Edge: Plain.Alignment:Medal.Mint: British Royal Mint. Obverse: Dot at
the top. "25 FILS" written at the top left side. "٢٥" (25) and "فلسا" (Fils)
written at the top right side. Crossed daggers in the center. Date
written at the bottom.

Reverse: "الجنوب العربي"
(South Arabia) written in Arabic at the top section. Small dot on
each side. 8-sided star design in the center. "SOUTH ARABIA"
written at the
bottom section. Mintage: 4,000,000 + 10,500 (in Proof sets as KM#PS1 +
N/A proof. Mintage Years:One year type.

KM#4 50 Fils. Year: 1964.Weight: 9.23 g [9.20
g].Metal: Copper-Nickel.Diameter:27.70 mm. Edge: Plain.Alignment:Medal.Mint: British Royal Mint. Obverse:
"درهم واحد" (One Dirham) in Arabic written at the top. "50 FILS"
written at the top left side. "٥٠" (50) and "فلسا" (Fils) written at
the top right side. Dhow in the center. Date written at the bottom.

Reverse: "الجنوب العربي"
(South Arabia) written in Arabic at the top section. Small dot on
each side. 8-sided star design in the center. "SOUTH ARABIA"
written at the
bottom section. Mintage: 6,000,000 + 10,500 (in Proof sets as KM#PS1 +
N/A proof. Mintage Years:One year type.